Editorial

On Tuesday, Feb. 10, there was a major fuel spill on the Oakland Estuary. The spill severely impacted the Grand and Alameda marinas. Both these marinas are situated on the south side of the estuary, directly across from the cutters berthed at Coast Guard Island. This was a significant event.

I am a survivor of a traumatic brain injury, as a result of the catastrophic car crash in 1978. I am sharing this defining moment in my life to show that such events are not always life ending, even though they may seem that way.

Despite planned development at the Del Monte warehouse site or Alameda Point, no city documents indicate any increase in traffic on the West End, where both these places are located.

The Planning Board and the City Council kept approving the development application proposals. They ignored community concerns about how much longer it would take residents, including those as far away as Bay Farm Island, to reach Interstate 880 during their morning commute.

At the insistence of Vice Mayor Frank Matarrese, with the support of Mayor Trish Spencer, there will be a written contract between the city and the Water Emergency Transportation Authority (WETA) that ensures a new dock will be built for the harbor seals that rest at Alameda Point. The existing haul out will be destroyed to make way for WETA’s ferry maintenance facility.

The changes on Shore Line Drive will benefit everyone, whether they are walking, rolling or driving.

They are part of an overall vision for a complete street, which adds crosswalks, bus stop islands, ADA upgrades and protected bike lanes. The changes move faster moving bicyclists into their own lanes. The travel lanes have changed, too, so people drive more slowly and people walking have a shorter distance to cross. All Alamedans will benefit with increased and better access to the shoreline.